The Rebirth Of Wonder: Reflections on the James Webb Telescope’s First Imagery

Like many citizens of the world I was left in sheer blissful awe of the first pictures from the James Webb Telescope. How could you not be? It’s not everyday that you’re faced with the sheer power of the cosmos. The images were shared across social media (the image above has over 117K retweets on the official NASA post) and countless friends and family shared them with me. As a “space guy” I was thrilled - this is an incredible image - but in the days since the Universe’s grand reboot in popular culture I’ve found myself wondering - what are we talking about when we say this photo is amazing? Why are we sharing it?

Don’t get me wrong - I’m impressed by the sheer power of engineering involved in getting to this point (check out the New Yorker’s incredible piece on the telescope from last year) - but I’ve also seen amazing engineering feats in my lifetime (including some incredible rocket launches and landings). I’m mesmerized by the visuals here - the kaleidoscope of colors - the incredible detail in every corner, yet killer astronomy photos are not new to me (I’m a power user on Astronomy Picture of the Day) and while this one is the most killer - I’ve seen it’s kind before. You see - when I see this photo and I suspect when many people see this photo it triggers a deep sense of wonder within us. 

Wonder is a funny word. When we think of it as a noun we think of “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.” As a verb it can be  “to desire or be curious to know something” and it can also mean to “feel doubt” All of those definitions are applicable here. This photo is surely something amazing, we’ve covered that already. And surely the photo sparks all types of thoughts, mainly of course being “where are the aliens at?” but the doubt part of the image also rumbles within my soul. All this is out there (and this is only a TINY TINY TINY piece of the universe) and no one has contacted us yet? Are we in a simulation? How do I matter in the scope of this? You can get lost in a real black hole of existential anxiety after this. I mean this really is staring into the abyss/void - right?

Wrong (at least for me). When I see this photo I see God’s Majesty. I mean how can you not. This photo is just the next chapter search for meaning, truth, the ultimate, whatever you want to call it. I choose to say the G word because that’s how I identify it but you can call it whatever you want. After all we can follow the history but scientists don’t know what existed before the big bang! Perhaps we’ll find the answer through this telescope and CERN or perhaps we never will. Either way I know I know we’re going to continue to look to the heavens to help define us as a species.  We’ve been looking to the sky for meaning since the dawn of civilizations. A huge chunk of constellations and planets are named after Greek, Roman, and Middle Eastern mythology. Some of the best films, books, TV shows and more have to deal with us searching for truth in the cosmos and I hope this photo is inspiring a whole generation of artists to consider the infinite possibility of the heavens. 

For some reason, though, I feel like we’re afraid to acknowledge this wonder - the deep feelings of this image and it kind of bums me out.  We should be able to talk openly about how this photo makes us feel - In ways both comforting and terrifying.  I’m not trying to dismiss the science here at all, for it is true and majestic - I’m only saying that by refusing to acknowledge the mystical and wondrous power of space we miss the opportunity to have it guide us. It’s there, it’s above us, it’s around us - and it’s beautiful.

Purposeful Wonder: Meteors Showering Us With Love

It turns out I’m a big meteor shower guy. I have the Perseids (August) and the Geminids (December) circled on the calendar at the start of every year. At this point, my friends probably expect a text from me - reminding them to tilt their eyes to the night sky - for a promise of shooting stars. When I lived in Los Angeles I would gather up a posse, drive up the 405 for 45 minutes (you can go pretty far in 45 minutes at 10:30PM), and pull off in the middle of nowhere - a place that on any other night you wouldn't want to be- and take it all in. 

Taking it all in is a nice way to put it because while I was attempting to catch the Perseids last week I had a realization - the shooting stars are only part of it. The real joy of the meteor shower is not in the light show - but in the moment. On my back, hammock enveloping me, phone on the grass, and my eyes towards the night sky - my focus is singular and my mission is clear. When you watch a meteor shower you’re not supposed to look at your phone. The light from the phone will pull you back down to earth and you’ll have to recalibrate your vision. Your eyes need to adjust to the night sky, or as a poet would say - the heavens.  So when I strap for a meteor shower - I’m ready! Let’s see some fire balls. Come on Universe - show me something that’s going to make me pump my fist. Yeah Science! Yeah Astronomy! Yeah Space!

A map of light pollution in the world. The brighter the glow the harder to see the meteors!

But the truth is - you don’t always get a light show equal to your expectations - that’s life sometimes, though. What you do get is a respite from this crazy world. A time to gaze UPWARD toward the heavens in the hope of seeing something wonderful. These days everyone seems to know the quote “when you gaze into the abyss...the abyss gazes back,” which is nice and dark and terrifying but the difference in a meteor shower is that the abyss gives you an incredible light show of magnificent beauty. If gazing into the abyss is staring into the empty void of emptiness and bleakness - then gazing into a glorious starry night that dances in front of you is like staring at an amazing painting where you are constantly finding new details and surprises. Last week when I was catching the Persieds - I saw some meteors, noticed a satellite cascading across the sky, and even discovered that some stars...shimmer differently. Amazingly - I didn’t even take a picture of this.

Now I have no problem with amateur or advanced photographers who take pictures of the night sky - but what I love about meteor showers and I don’t think will last forever is that they’re hard as shit to capture on your phone. As mentioned, the act of photographing them with your phone would require your eyes to lose their night sky mode and since they’re unpredictable you’d need a long exposure. Whew, now that the photography lesson is done - let’s get to the main event - they’re hard to capture, they’re hard to contain for instagram- that makes them personal, that makes the foundation of ownable moments of wonder. Sure - Bob in some other valley may have seen the same one as you - but he didn’t see your exact spot while you were thinking about your friend from High School that you lost touch with. That meteor is yours! It’s not your phone. It’s not searching for likes on the gram. It’s purpose is to make you feel connected to the heavens above, and that’s a beautiful thing!

The Rock At 25: My First Church Movie

I first heard about “The Rock” at church. With the film celebrating its 25th anniversary this year - this meant I was 10 years old when fresh off hearing the gospel I also heard about a different type of gospel: The gospel of kickass action and Michael Bay. You see every Sunday after Church we would talk with other families outside the church about what was new. One of our family friends who knew I was a big movie guy told me he saw this movie called “The Rock” and it featured an amazing scene that quoted Elton John’s “Rocket Man” and it was fantastic. At this point in my life I was not familiar with Elton John nor was I remotely aware of what “The Rock” was. 

This all changed for me when I watched the film when it came out on VHS later that year - ironically with a bunch of kids from said church while our parents were having a dinner party. How ironic that one of my favorite action movies came to me from Church? Yeah, I don’t really get it either - but hey- maybe that’s why the movie is one part of the Nic Cage action trinity. But enough religious talk - let’s talk about how “The Rock” is the fuckin’ best.

Sean Connery & Director Michael Bay

The film is directed by god tier cinematic auteur Michael Bay and it shows in almost every way. Visually the film is drenched in Michael Bay’s hyper cool style - lots of low angle shots, hyper saturated colors, and chaotic action that is easy to follow with clear camera set-ups and -while the film’s story has some complexities (mostly with Ed Harris General Hummel) like Bay’s other masterpiece Bad Boys II - the film prioritizes incredibly COOL action over story. Why does Sean Connery’s character have to navigate a machine full of slicing blades and fiery blasts of death? Because it looks cool, that’s why. Why is there a minecart theme park ride underneath Alcatraz? Because it’s great for an action scene. And why does Sean Connery just radiate badass energy for the whole movie - because Bay clearly is in awe of him and just sets the whole film to work around him wasting bad guys and dropping one-liners to anyone and everyone!

Speaking of Connery - this movie has a stacked cast of dramatic actors and ,while Bay would go on to work with some great talent in his still continuing career, this film is the one with the most “real” actors. Nicolas Cage had just won an Oscar for “Leaving Las Vegas,” Sean Connery had an Oscar for “The Untouchables,” and Ed Harris had just been nominated for “Apollo 13.” And outside of the power trio - the supporting cast around them is strong. David Morse, John C McGinley, John Spencer, Bokeem Woodbine, Michael Biehn, Tony Todd and more are all chewing scenery in an awesome way.  But let’s get back to Cage here for a moment because his performance is legendary here. He’s weird enough that you buy that he’s a nerdy scientist who loves The Beatles, but also tough enough that when he has to kick-ass you buy it. Later films in the world of Cage would either lean into the weird factor too much or present him as a super action hero - both of which never work. But here - he’s perfect.

But most of all - the reason the film endures and why it’s up there with “Aliens” as a movie I’m confident will blow my kids minds when I show it to them at a sleepover is that it’s almost a perfect action movie. It has everything you need:

• Stakes - You see the virus melt someone's face off in the first 5 minutes

• Car Chases - Hummers, Lambos, and those San Fran Hills

• Cool Military Shit - Motion sensors, underwater submarines, Navy Seals, fighter jets - it’s all here!

• Endless One Liners - From the “Losers Always Whine About Their Best,” to the “Rocketman” line to everything in between - everything is quotable

• Explosions - In San Francisco streets, the entire island, underground - a lot of stuff blows up and looks great

• Conspiracies - Sean Connery’s character is basically James Bond (great video about that here), he knows the secrets, he knows about JFK. Note, I told my Dad I wanted to watch more JFK stuff after this and he was like...let’s wait on that

• Shoot Outs - The shower shootout gets all the praise (as it should) but I’m partial to the shootout in the morgue when Connery shoots out an AC unit crushing somebody

I do have one substantial problem with the film and that is the lack of female representation. There are literally two (2!) actresses in the entire movie and while both are very pretty they are nowhere near fleshed out characters. Nic Cage's wife and Sean Connery’s daughter both seemingly exist just to represent “important civilians who may die if the heroes mess up” and that’s a huge bummer. Even Bay’s other masterpiece “Bad Boys II” has a female character that , while a “damsel in distress,” does actually get to fight and kick-ass. For me I always felt like “The Rock” was missing a badass lady to round out the team - in fact no disrespect to the Cage maestro but the film would have worked really well if the Cage character was a woman!

I’m not trying to bash on “The Rock,” as it’s one of my favorite flicks and one that I come back to frequently. After this movie Bay would go on to make “Armageddon,” a massive action movie with huge stakes but not enough shoot outs or car chases. Cage would go on to go between action flicks (Face/Off, Con Air, Gone In 60 Seconds) and dramas (City Of Angels, Bringing Out The Dead). As for Connery - outside of Finding Forrester - it was mostly downhill from here.

Nic Cage offering up his sacrifice. Nic Cage is Jesus?

So here’s to “The Rock” on it’s 25th anniversary - perhaps there is another analysis of the film that connects in a more meaningful way to Church (hey, some of the imagery is there) but I don’t think there is. I could probably say this movie baptized me in (Michael) Bay but I don’t know if I’ve had all of my sacraments.  But seriously, this is a movie that is fun, it’s kick-ass, it’s really easy to explain and hype to people. Most of all that’s the legacy of the film - established concept and almost flawless execution. It’s a movie where Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage have to stop Ed Harris who’s taking over Alcatraz from destroying San Francisco with chemical weapons. Just typing that sentence has got me ready to light some green smoke and say my prayers of gratitude for the cinematic deities for blessing us with this movie!

Nomadland: American Honey For Boomers

When you go searching for the soul of America, what do you find? This is the driving question at the heart of many seminal pieces of art. Artists across time have been chasing it and the highly buzzed about film “Nomadland” is no exception. From rising (or should I say current) superstar director Chloe Zhao - the film tells the story of 60 year old Fern (Frances McDormand) who after losing her husband and her whole town (literally, her zip code is removed from the post office record) sets out in a van to find herself and America. And so, the aforementioned search begins. 

Let’s get one thing out of the way first - this movie is beautiful to look at. In fact it's pretty much the first art house movie I can think of that is getting an IMAX release. Joshua James Richards, the film’s cinematographer, uses almost all natural light to capture everything from the craggy beauty of Badlands national park to the all consuming sprawl of an Amazon warehouse (Amazon is one of the many jobs that Fern has throughout the film). Richards calls his style “heightened, super cinematic naturalism,” and that really makes sense as the film spends equal tender time on people’s faces as it does on stunning landscapes. But now that we’ve established that the film looks amazing and will make you want to visit some national parks - let’s talk about the rest of the movie, specifically the huge element that’s missing in it that really holds it back: danger.

For a movie that is keen on referencing the cinematic language of westerns and features a stubborn and resourceful main character - there is never any real element of danger. You never are really concerned for Fern. She’s out here ripping through this new-american frontier, but the most intense thing that happens to her is when a person knocks on her van and tells her to move it. There is also some car trouble. The American landscape has always been unforgiving and this film seems to pull back a little bit on it. I’m not expecting some bear attack like “The Revenant” but just something that raises the stakes more for Fern. 

Sasha Lane in American Honey

While watching this film I kept thinking about a movie about American nomads, but one with a lot more edge and danger - 2016’s “American Honey,” which if you haven’t seen is an absolute masterpiece. Like “Nomadland,” “American Honey” tells the story of a female protagonist (albeit much younger) who travels the American landscape searching for the soul of America. The lead actress in the film, Sasha Lane, was cast by the director Andrea Arnold while partying on a beach in Florida. Lane plays a character named Star, the role is her acting debut. Her being a completely new fresh face gives the film a powerful aura - it feels like you’re watching life unfold because you’ve never seen her before. In “Nomadland,” some of the themes are dulled because Frances McDormand is an Oscar winning actress. I’m not watching Fern. I'm watching a two time Oscar winner. This is kind of ironic because Zhao’s previous film “The Rider” featured a cast of complete unknowns and is remarkable. Also, an important note is that “The Rider” is one of the greatest movies ever made.

Maybe I’m missing the point. I mean, I can write multiple essays on my love for “American Honey,” but ultimately that movie is what it means to be young in America. “Nomadland” is a movie about what it means to be old in America. Fern is 60 in the film (which isn’t that old) her desires in the film are focused on a horizon that is much closer than one portrayed in “American Honey.” There’s a lot of talk about death with dignity. And for that reason I really see “Nomadland” as kind of a boomer tone poem about finding yourself when you don’t recognize the world around you anymore. Perhaps I’ll revisit the film when I’m 60 and it will blow my mind to pieces - but until then I’ll stick with “American Honey” and it’s danger and rawness. Ha - “danger and rawness” - sounds like American in 2021.

Clubhouse: Why It's A Game Changer For Brands

The new invite only app Clubhouse seems to be everywhere these days. People are scrambling to get invites even though it’s still an iphone only service. It was recently valued at a billion dollars, and it’s already smartly working on ways to empower it’s rising stars. Today I want to talk about the two reasons I think the app is so intriguing to people and then close this bad boy out with why I think the app is going to be wild for brands.

The first reason Clubhouse is connecting is that the human voice is popular. I’m not talking about the metaphorical impact of one person’s voice to move millions (although that is cool) - I’m talking about the actual impact of a human voice. Think about it - huge innovations in culture: radio broadcasts, movies becoming “talkies,” and even the telephone supercharged our capacity for connection. Enter Clubhouse - where instead of @ replying people on Twitter, DM’ing on Instagram, or texting your friends - you actually hear other strangers' voices. It’s so simple that it’s actually pretty wild. For the first time you know what that woman who’s always tweeting about zodiac signs actually sounds like. Does she sound like what you imagined? Hard to say!

The other secret sauce of Clubhouse is how it organizes all the action into “Ted Talk” style rooms where there is an expert that can allow people in the room who “raise their hand” to talk. This empowers leaders of the room to keep the conversation on track. No one wants to be part of some bogus meandering conversation, but people also want to be engaged. They want to be heard and, of course, they want to be part of the story. Clubhouse is successful because humans by their nature want to be connected to others. Maybe they don’t want to talk and instead just care to listen, but for now Clubhouse feels like a virtual town square where you can soak up knowledge and share some as well, and that’s powerful.

Speaking of powerful, soon I think brands are going to join the app. Here’s where it gets interesting to me because while it’s easy to establish a communications guide for a brand for a static platform (Twitter, Facebook) or even a reactive platform (like Twitch) - having to lead the conversation is going to be a new one. Who’s going to lead it? The CEO? The VP of Communications? The highly charismatic sales guy? Remember this isn’t just giving a speech, but rather being able to manage the flow of a conversation while dropping knowledge along the way. The influencer space could prove the answer but I think many brands may not want their celebrity/influencer to say the wrong thing. This is tricky too because what if they can’t keep the conversation moving? Tom Brady may be great in TV commercials and look great in ads for Under Armour - but what if he’s boring or can’t go deep on certain topics if the conversation goes there? 

Secondly, will the platform force brands to really identify what they stand for? I think so. Who wants to hear your favorite brand talk about their cool products for an hour? Perhaps some, but it better be interesting! I believe that Clubhouse will expose brands who don’t stand for anything as ultimately standing for nothing. It will be the next evolution of the sometimes wacky world of brand twitter - except this time a human voice will be speaking for them and answering questions in real time. Let’s just hope brands are ready to keep it engaging.